Vehicle-wheel.



S. L. SIMPSON.

VEHICLE WHEEL. L MPLICATION FILED IAN.23. |914.

1,141,429. Patented June 1, 1915.

\ 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

S. L. SIMPSON.

VEHICLE WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED IAII.23, 1914.

1 14 1,429, Patented June 1, 1915,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

. ,geouslyfused in connection with automobiles- UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

SELDEN L. SIMPSON, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAM E. CURRIE, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

VEHICLE-WHEEL.

vieldable or.`resilient bodies are interposed between the felly andthe rim of a wheel for cushioning and yileldably supporting the hub'portion of the wheel,'to insure easy 'riding ofthe vehicle upon irregular and rough roads or surfaces. l f

The primary object of my invention is to provide` a vehicle wheel'v of the above type wherein hard Vand 'soft rubber or a similar material or composition is used for cushioning purposes, the rubber havingv such form as to provideal` plurality of separate and ci'rcuxnferentially larranged cushioning -ele- -rnents or unitsbetween thefelly andthe vrim of'a wheel..

Another objectief my invention is to provide a. .vehiclewheelthat can be advantaand motor driven vehicles,vthe construction and ariangernent of vthe'yieldable or resilient elements being such astoincrease the road worthiness of the automobil'efwithout' accident, as punctu re,'stone bruise and other well known tire' trouble.

A further object of my inventionv is to provide a wheel of the abov'e type that hasA radiating members 'or spokes with their ends.

yieldably supported concentric of independent yieldable odies supported by the'rim of the wheel, whereby all of the yieldable bodies are brought into action when the hub portion of the wheel assumes other than a position concentric to the rim of the wheel.

The above and other objects are attained by a novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts that 'Will be herein-v after specifically described and then claimed.

' Reference will now be had t0 the drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a wheel in accordance with this invention; Fig. 2- is a cross sectional view of the'samc, taken on the line II-II of Fig. 1, and Fig.

. Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented June 1, 1915'.

Application led January 23, 1914. v Serial No. 813,827.

v3 is a side elevation of a portion of'o'ne of the cushioning elements illustrating a modification of the invention.

In describing my invention by aid of the views above referred to, I desire to point out' that I intend said views as merely illustrative of an example whereby my invention may be applied in practice, and I do not limit my claims to the precise arrangement and construction of parts indicated. The

following description is therefore tobe construed broadly as including substitute arrangements and constructions which are the obvious equivalent of thoseshown.

In the drawings, the reference numeral 1' denotes a hub provided' with peripheral flanges'Q and secured between said iangesm the ordinary and well'known "manner' are the inner ends of .spokes 3. The spokes 3 have the outer ends thereof, atI their sides, cha'mfer'ed or cut away, as'at 4 to. provide seats `for circular side plates 5, said-pla-t'es vbeing spaced apart by the outer endsfof the spokes "and constituting the", fellyf'o'f the v'vh'eel.Y The outer edges ofthe side vplites .5 yare "scalloped or' formed with radiating -6,E have theinner -sides thereof pro.- v'idedzfwitl 'tapering apertured bosses 7 con'- Arranged upon thebosse's 7 between -the arms 6 are tubes 10', said tubes having the ends. thereof 'shaped to bear upon the bosses 7, asbest shown at the lower partof Fig. 2.

tubes `1`0`have the peripheries thereof provided with longitudinally; extending equally spaceddove-tail tongues 11e-.andinterlocking with said tongues are similar tongues 12 of a hard rubber sleeve 13 fitted upon said tubes.

Surrounding the hard rubber sleeve 13 and formed integral therewith is a soft rubber body 14 having concave sides. -Sur. rounding the soft rubber body 14 and formed integral therewith is a hard rubber sleeve 15, said sleeve having the periphery thereof provided with' equal y spaced dovetail tongues 16 that interlock with similar tongues 17 forming part of a metallic band that surrounds thehard rubber sleeve 15. The band 18 is shrunk or otherwise mounted in a cylindrical housing 19 forming part' equally spaced and oppositely disposed arms rate the ends of each housing.

l rranged upon the rim 2O is a tire, coming bands 22 and 23 spaced apart by uiar plates 24 and a filler or spacer 25, uch is preferably made of wood.

plates '24 are connected by transverse ts 26 or other fastening means that exud through the filler 25, and the tire is tained upon the rim 20 by bolts 27 .and s 28 or other fastening means. The tire of greater widththan the rim 20 and the 'band 23 of said tire constitutes a tread, 'which is lroug'jhened or provided with an. irregular surface for anti-skidding purposes. The Iside' plates 5t are connected to the spokes 3 by tran verse bolts 29 and nuts 30 and the same .fastening means is employed for retaining a sprocket wheel .31'in engagement withl theinner side of the wheel'.

InY Fig. 3 of the drawings, there is illus trated'a slight modification of my invention, wherein'the soft 'rubber body 14 has the inner and outer sides thereof scalloped or corrugated, as at 32 to interlock with similar surfaces of the hard rubber sleeves L3 and 15. It is in this connection, that Athehard ,rubberjsleeves can be formed integral with rthe soft rubbei bodies when manufactured-v 30 and thesides of the soft rubber bodies can be :reinforced with canvas, any material or by any process that will make the sides -thereofindur'ateand not'susceptible to deterioration by the forces of nature or foreign -rnlatter encountered during the use of the w iee I attach considerable importance to the factthateach set of arms of the side plates 5, which in' reality area continuation or 4u prolongation of the spokes 3,-are-yie1dably supported. concentrically of independent Y j bodies carried Aby the rim of the wheel, and that the arrangement of the bodies is such -that they all .coperate in cushioning the connected by webs 2i arranged intera.

The

. concentricall-y of -mounted in said housing,

hub portion of the wheel relatively to the rim. Irrespective of the direction of movement of the hub portion of the wheel, the

1. vIn a vehicle wheel, a felly,`a rim, cylindrical housings carried by said rim inproX-A- imity to saidfelly, a tire carried by said rim, bands mounted in said housings, tubes said housings for supporting said felly and yieldable fabricated bodies arranged between said bands, and said tubes.

2'. In a vehicle wheelfa felly, sets of radiating arms carried thereby, bolts connecting the arms of each set, a rim, cylindrical housings carried by said rim and extending between the arms of each set, bands mounted in said housings, hard rubber sleeves inter- `locked with said bands, tubes supported between said arms, hard rubber sleeves inter'- locked with said tubes, and soft rubber bodies between said hard rubber sleeves.'

3. 'An element of vehicle construction,

comprising a fixed housing, a metal band `a rubber body having the periphery thereof interlocked with said band and a su porting member interlocked with :said bodyl and yieldingly supported concentric ofl said body landcapable of radial mofement relativelyn to said housing. l A

In .testimony whereof I affix my signature in presenceof two witnesses..

siiLDEN nsiMPsoN.

Witnesses:

. L. E. FLANDERS,

G. E. McGnANn. 

